1. The Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to the field of energy absorption. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and systems for absorbing and dissipating seismic energy.
2. The Relevant Technology
Building codes are set in place so that buildings, whether residential or commercial structures, are designed and constructed to have in place a minimum set of standards designed to allow the building to withstand tension and compression cycles. Such cycles may come about from any of a variety of different sources. For instance, such tension and compression cycles may be induced by earthquakes, winds, and other natural and/or man-made phenomena. For example, when an earthquake or similar event occurs, energy from the earthquake is transferred to the structure, causing the structure to oscillate, thereby also causing the structure and its support members to undergo a number of tensile and compressive cycles. Hopefully, in such an energy-inducing event (i.e. if the building codes are met, and the energy-inducing event is of a size less than the maximum for which the building codes were designed), the structure can withstand the tensile and compressive cycles without buckling or excessive deformation.
To meet these building codes, a frame-based structure can be designed and constructed with stiff cross-members which act as braces to withstand any compressive and tensile cycles occurring as a result of linear displacement. Typically, building code standards do not, however, require structures to exhibit high-energy dissipating characteristics that would allow for multiple cycles of non-linear displacement. Thus, a large earthquake, which may cause the structure to undergo non-linear displacement, may cause significant damage to the buildings despite compliance with the building codes. In particular, such structures are vulnerable to deformation and buckling in the event of a large earthquake or similar energy-inducing event which causes non-linear displacement and/or stress cycles above and beyond the minimum stresses that compliance with the building codes should withstand. Moreover, such problems are magnified in structures which have multiple stories as inter-story drift can be created which causes the stories to shift relative to each other.
To prevent or reduce the damage in the event of a major seismic event, structural dampers may be used which absorb high amounts of energy generated by the seismic event so as to reduce the displacement of the structure. In some cases, this damage is mitigated by limiting the structure to linear displacement where the stiff-cross members and bracing structures are less subject to deformation and buckling.
Exemplary structural dampers that can be used in this manner include various fluid-based and visco-elastic dampers. Each of these types of dampers are useful in that their components absorb the energy applied by a seismic event and thereby reduce structural displacement. Nevertheless, such damping structures are also very specialized and expensive. As a result, such devices are typically limited to high-cost applications which require high-performance capabilities.
Accordingly, what are desired are apparatus and systems which provide a low-cost structural damper which can absorb significant amounts of energy to reduce displacement and damage to a structure. It is also desired to provide structural damping apparatus and systems which can be implemented in connection with new construction or which can be efficiently installed to retrofit and rehabilitate existing structures.